Awakening

Reverse Cursed Technique activated, and the flesh around Lu Yun's wound writhed. Bones, nerves, muscles, blood... under the effects of positive energy, all the components of an arm materialized bit by bit out of thin air, soon restoring his entire right arm.

Lu Yun raised his regrown right arm, bending and stretching his fingers one after another before making a fist. Everything moved freely, without the slightest stiffness, as though he had never lost it.

"Reverse Cursed Technique really is amazing."

Looking at his fully restored arm, Lu Yun sighed in wonder.

Yuta Okkottsu froze at his words:

"Was that your first time using Reverse Cursed Technique, Mr. Lu Yun?"

"Yeah. Before this, I'd never met an opponent who could push me this far."

Okkotsu immediately understood.

Of course. With that absurd Elementalization ability, how could an ordinary opponent hurt Lu Yun? Looking at it that way, it wasn't surprising that he had never used Reverse Cursed Technique.

Lu Yun patted Okkotsu's shoulder with his right hand and praised him:

"Be proud, Okkotsu. You're strong."

Without exaggeration, this fight against Yuta Okkotsu had been the most exhilarating battle Lu Yun had personally led since arriving in the world of jujutsu.

Unlike his previous one-sided beatdowns, where he had relied on overwhelming stats, this battle had truly allowed Lu Yun to integrate Hajime Kashimo's abilities with his own. He had also fully absorbed the experience from Hajime Kashimo's earlier one-against-four battle in Sendai and begun walking the true path of the strong.

Yuta Okkotsu scratched his head sheepishly:

"Not at all. I'm still nowhere near you, Mr. Lu Yun."

Still, he was delighted to earn Lu Yun's approval.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Okkotsu extended his hand toward Lu Yun and said solemnly:

"Then please allow me to officially welcome you to Jujutsu High on its behalf, Mr. Lu Yun."

Seeing his serious expression, Lu Yun stopped joking around too. He pulled off his Spider-Man mask, then firmly clasped Okkotsu's hand:

"I'm counting on you all to look after me from here on."

With the support of Yuta Okkotsu, a special-grade powerhouse, Lu Yun finally no longer had to worry about his identity.

"So that's what you look like, Mr. Lu Yun. You really do have the bearing of someone powerful."

With the mask gone, Lu Yun's true face was revealed. His blue hair was neatly swept back, with a few loose strands hanging over his forehead. Paired with Hajime Kashimo's wild, defiant expression, it was hard to imagine anyone who looked like that being weak.

Gripping Lu Yun's hand firmly with both of his, Yuta Okkotsu continued:

"We should be saying that. I'm afraid we'll be asking a lot of you from now on, Mr. Lu Yun."

"Haha, no problem."

Lu Yun laughed, unbothered.

What the people at Jujutsu High wanted to do actually aligned with Lu Yun's own goals, which was also why he had chosen to join their side. Now that he had started a new life, he had no intention of throwing it away.

"I'll go check on Itadori and the others, then."

"Sure, go ahead."

Releasing his hand, Okkotsu turned to check on Yuji Itadori and Choso. To keep the shock waves of the fight from affecting them, Lu Yun had put a fair bit of distance between himself and the two.

"Mr. Lu Yun really does have quite a grip."

On the way over, Yuta Okkotsu shook out his hand. The hand Lu Yun had gripped was visibly red.

He didn't seem to be reinforcing himself with cursed energy, either. Was that pure physical strength? That's terrifying.

Having finished dealing with Okkotsu, Lu Yun finally had time for a proper conversation with the other presence inside him.

"Hmph. Kid, you sure accomplished a lot while I was gone."

The abnormally vast reserves of cursed energy inside his body had genuinely startled the newly awakened Kashimo.

For a moment, he had almost thought the King of Curses had taken over his body.

As far as Hajime Kashimo knew, only Ryomen Sukuna possessed such enormous reserves of cursed energy.

"Oh, come on, Deer God. Didn't I tell you what my 'cursed technique' does? Don't make such a fuss. Anyone watching would think you'd never seen the world."

Forget Kashimo-no one had ever seen anything this outrageous.

Lu Yun pointed at Okkotsu's retreating back:

"Look, that kid's cursed energy reserves aren't much lower, either."

Following the direction of Lu Yun's finger, Hajime Kashimo carefully sensed Okkotsu's cursed energy reserves.

"Huh? You're right. Are all modern sorcerers this ridiculous?"

Cursed energy reserves equivalent to a full ten Sukuna's Fingers were an eye-opener for Hajime Kashimo. Yuta Okkotsu didn't have a cursed technique like Lu Yun's that made him stronger the more he fought, so such outrageous reserves must have been innate.

"Right? So I'm nothing special. If I want to get stronger, I have to fight my way up bit by bit. My strength really comes from hard work and sweat, day after day."

There was no sign of the hard work. The sweat, meanwhile, was on his enemies' faces.

Finding some sense in Lu Yun's words, Hajime Kashimo let the matter drop. Instead, he asked how Lu Yun's search for Sukuna had progressed while he slept:

"Since you've changed so much, kid, I must have been asleep for quite a while. You still haven't found Sukuna after all that time?"

"Uh..."

Lu Yun scratched his head. Had it been that long?

From the end of the Sendai Showdown on November 2 to the start of the main storyline today, November 8, nearly a week had passed. That did seem like a while.

"Yeah, Deer God. You've been asleep for almost a week..."

"Wait, what? How long was I asleep?"

Hajime Kashimo interrupted before Lu Yun could finish.

"A week? No, from the second to today, the eighth-to be precise, it's been six days."

Lu Yun counted the days on his fingers.

"How long? Six days?! You're telling me you doubled my cursed energy reserves in six days?!"

Hajime Kashimo's voice was full of disbelief.

With how much Lu Yun had improved, Hajime Kashimo had assumed he must have slept for at least a month or two. Yet Lu Yun had just told him he had only slept for six days.

Hajime Kashimo's own cursed energy reserves had only been equivalent to roughly seven Sukuna's Fingers. Yet after a single sleep, this kid Lu Yun had doubled that to a full fourteen Sukuna's Fingers-the equivalent of two Hajime Kashimos-and he had done it in just six days. How was Hajime Kashimo supposed to accept that?

"Kid, are you even human?"

He decided to retract his earlier assessment that "Lu Yun's cursed technique is inferior to my Mythical Beast Amber." Even excluding Kurourushi, whom Hajime Kashimo had helped defeat, Lu Yun had still gained five Sukuna's Fingers' worth of cursed energy in six days. That was nearly one finger a day. Was that even human? That wasn't fucking human!

"How can a cursed technique this ridiculous exist? Then what does that make my Mythical Beast Amber? A suicide truck?"

Hajime Kashimo muttered to himself, sinking into gloom.

Lu Yun had been about to tell him that today's increase was the only particularly big one, but at the sight of him, he promptly shut his mouth.

Better not deal little Kashimo another blow.

If he knew that Lu Yun had gained this much in a single go, who knew how devastated the mighty Deer God would be?

Lu Yun got stronger by winning; little Kashimo was a suicide truck. It was just...

"Forget it. Whatever. You're you, and I'm me. Forget about cursed techniques. In an actual fight, it's still skill and execution that count."

After his brief bout of gloom, Hajime Kashimo pulled himself together.